#FoodieExtravaganza: Pretzels

This month’s #FoodieExtravaganza is celebrating Pretzels! The Foodie Extravaganza is a monthly party hosted by bloggers who love food! Each month we incorporate one main ingredient into recipes to share with you. But in this case, our host Lauren of From Gate to Plate also suggested a bonus ingredient of caramel.

I’ve always been afraid of making pretzels. Yes, I’ve featured a pretzel recipe on Sew You Think You Can Cook before, but it didn’t involve the boiling on baking soda water step. This time, I wanted to do a more traditional recipe. I turned to my friend Tara’s blog Tara’s Multicultural Table and picked between her pretzel rolls and her pretzel bread. Now that Tara and I have both left the Florida panhandle for different parts of the country I won’t get to sample her baking! This means I’m going to have to make it myself! Cue the crying and whining.

With a secondary ingredient of caramel, I knew I wanted to make a dipping sauce so I made Tara’s rolls. These turned out great! Mine aren’t as pretty as hers are, but they’re just as delicious.

Adding to my list of new kitchen endeavors, I’d also never made caramel! I’ve melted prepared caramel candies before, but this time I started from brown sugar. I know there are more complicated version of making caramel, but this easy one from The Pioneer Woman was a great place to start.

Pretzel Rolls with Caramel Dipping Sauce

Ingredients for rolls:

1 1/2 C warm (105-115 degrees F) water

1 pkt (1/4 oz) active dry yeast

4 1/2 C flour

1 tbsp sugar

2 tsp salt

4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

2 1/2 Qt water

2/3 C baking soda

egg wash (1 egg whisked with 1 tbsp water)

Ingredients for caramel:

1 C packed brown sugar

1/2 C heavy cream

4 tbsp butter

pinch of salt

1 tbsp vanilla extract

Steps for rolls:

Sprinkle yeast over the warm water. Let sit one minute before stirring gently to combine. Set aside ten minutes, until yeast water mixture is frothy.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook combine flour, sugar, and salt.

Knead in the melted butter and yeast mixture until smooth and dough clings to the dough hook.

Place dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise one hour, or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Bring 2 1/2 Qt water and baking soda to a boil.

Divide pretzel dough into twelve balls.

Boil pretzel dough balls one at a time for 15 seconds on each side. Remove to a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with salt. Cut two slits in each roll.

*The pretzel recipe is adapted from Tara at http://www.tarasmulticulturaltable.com/silserli-swiss-pretzel-rolls/ and the caramel recipe is adapted from Ree at http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/easy-caramel-sauce-recipe.html *

I’m pretty sure I’d have to hide all of the spoons if I made this caramel sauce. And probably the butter knifes, too. And the straws. 😉 The delicious pretzels would have to be my only means of transport to my mouth. So good!